Like the Golf, the Eos's rear cabin remains comfortable for at least 2 passengers with adequate legroom even with a tall driver seated up front. While Volkswagen doesn't have official numbers for the boot capacity, the amount of space with the roof cover retracted is decent enough for at least one Samsonite suitcase.

The Drive

The Eos gets its power from the same 2.0-litre TSI unit found in the Golf GTI and coupled with the wet-clutch 6-speed DSG gearbox. Although the GTI's blistering performance is neutered by the rather hefty 170kg folding hardtop roof. Despite that, the Eos manages to feel much faster than its century sprint time of 7.8 secs.

As a cruiser, the Eos's suspension does well in mitigating the bumps and undulations away from the driver. Though the body does suffer from some scuttle shake.

Around the corners, the Eos appears capable though one should expect Golf GTI ability here due to the added weight mentioned above.

Steering weight is spot on and provides a good amount of steering feel through the front wheels. Give the throttle a kick and the engine responds with a sporty raspy note that has the potential of being vocalized even further with so many GTI derived exhaust kits available from tuners. Although not as evident as in the GTI, one can still get a hint of that iconic 'pop' when downshifting through the gears.

Conclusion

The latest facelifted Eos takes itself to an all new level with its improved looks that reminds one of a chopped top Golf. While coupled with decent handling performance on the road, it is still no GTI.

But if you're still adamant for a topless GTI or Golf R, Volkswagen has unveiled concepts for both these performance oriented variants at this year's Worthersee aka Golf GTI fan fest. However there is still no official word on when these concepts will be put into production, if ever.

In the mean time, we'll just have to look to the base Eos for some topless fun in our tropical sun…

What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.